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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rule — a law
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rule — government
  5. row — a line
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. row — to paddle
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com